🇳🇬 New country: fly over Nigeria!

Buckle up your seatbelt — Toponauts is flying to West Africa for the very first time: welcome, Nigeria! 🇳🇬✈️ It's Africa's most populous country, home to more than 200 million people, and it's bursting with rivers, plateaus and 37 states to explore. Fly over the confluence of two mighty rivers, the highest peak in the country, and a lake that's shrinking before our eyes!

🗺️ 36 states + 1 very special capital territory

Nigeria is divided into 36 states plus one extra area: the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), home to the capital city Abuja. That makes 37 areas in total to fly into! Each state has its own capital — some are well known, but some might surprise you. Fly into every state and watch its real border light up on the map.

🏙️ Lagos: Africa's biggest city (but not a capital!)

Here's a fun twist: Lagos is the biggest city in Nigeria — and in all of Africa — with around 15 million people. But it isn't the capital of anything! It's not even the capital of its own Lagos State (that's a smaller city called Ikeja). And it definitely isn't the country's capital anymore either — in 1991, Nigeria moved its capital from Lagos to a brand-new, specially built city right in the centre of the country: Abuja.

🌊 Where two great rivers meet

Nigeria is named after its longest river, the mighty River Niger. Flowing in from the west, it eventually meets its biggest tributary, the River Benue, at a town called Lokoja. The two rivers crash together there in a giant Y-shape called a confluence — one of the most dramatic river meetings anywhere in the world! From there, the combined river flows south into the enormous Niger Delta before reaching the Gulf of Guinea.

⛰️ Plateaus, highlands and Nigeria's highest peak

Right in the middle of the country rises the Jos Plateau, a cool, high tableland famous for tin mining. Further east, along the border with Cameroon, the land climbs even higher into the Adamawa Highlands and the Mandara Mountains. Hidden among them is Chappal Waddi, also called Gangirwal — at 2,419 metres, it's the highest point in all of Nigeria!

🌍 Lake Chad: a shrinking giant

In the far northeast, Nigeria shares the shores of Lake Chad with three other countries: Niger, Chad and Cameroon. It used to be one of the largest lakes in Africa — but since 1963 it has shrunk by about 90%, from roughly 25,000 km² down to just 1,350 km². Scientists watch it closely as a striking example of how climate and water use can change a landscape.

🗺️ Six geopolitical zones

Beyond the 37 states, Nigerians also group their country into six geopolitical zones: North Central, North East, North West, South East, South South, and South West. Each zone bundles several neighbouring states together — a handy way to see the bigger picture of this huge country.

🎉 Fun facts

• Nigeria borders 4 countries: Benin, Niger, Chad and Cameroon — plus a watery border with Chad right across Lake Chad.
• The name "Niger" for both the river and the country comes from a local phrase meaning "river among rivers."
• Nigeria's coastline stretches about 853 km along the Gulf of Guinea, dominated by the vast, swampy Niger Delta.
• From steamy mangrove swamps in the south to dry Sahel savanna in the north, Nigeria packs an entire range of African landscapes into one country.

▶️ How to play

Switch your country to Nigeria with the "change your country" button, then pick a map — states, capitals, big cities, rivers, mountains, lakes or geopolitical zones. Zoom into a single state to practise its towns. Safe flight! 🚁